Recent diagnosis - please help
Posted , 2 users are following.
I had a colonoscopy today after symptoms of tummy pain, some blood on loo roll, bloating and some loss of appetite.
The colonoscopy report found no malignancies or indeed any polyps at all, but my report says:
'Single diverticulum in descending colon. DICA score of 1, no inflammation and no complications'.
I have no idea what any of this means and they didn't explain, so I'm wondering if anyone can explain. Would it account for my symptoms? How do I treat it?
Thanks so much
Peter
0 likes, 4 replies
buddyjo pete55308
Posted
It's too bad your doctor didn't take the time to explain the situation to you. During a colonoscopy I had last year they found evidence of diverticulOSIS (the presence of diverticulum .. outpouching in the colon). The diagnosis of diverticulosis is like a warning. My gastro doctor told me it's not serious in and of itself, but I needed to take care so that it doesn't get infected or inflamed (diverticulITIS). He said I should eat a balanced diet, not too much fibre, some red meat but mostly chicken and fish. I didn't take his words seriously enough and in early August of this year I had a brutal attack of diverticulitis (terrible, you NEVER want to experience that .. unbelievable abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, constipation, etc).
Did a lot of research and discovered fodmaps (types of carbohydrates that don't completely break down in the small intestine) and am slowly relearning how to eat, cook and sustain myself differently. Like you, I had no malignancies or polyps.
Not sure what your symptoms were caused by but they would've picked up diverticulitis while they were in there. All the same, you may want to check out fodmaps and consider a temporary low fodmap diet. That's what I'm doing now and so far my gut is doing great. I will soon begin slowly reintroducing higher fodmap foods to discover what my triggers are.
Re DICA score, it apparently refers to the number of diverticula, a score of 1 means less than 5 diverticula. My doc never said anything about it but I'm supposed to get another colonoscopy now so they can see what things look like after the crisis so I'll ask about how many I have.
Hope you get things sorted out ..
pete55308 buddyjo
Posted
I can't thank you enough Buddy!
By the sounds of it there may be something else causing my symptoms as I've definitely got diverticulosis (not itis!) - indeee the report specified that it was not inflamed.
I'll take the warning and alter my diet - I have read mixed things re. whether to have more fibre or not (I don't want to have even worse tummy issues by being drastic) but will look into the fodmap. If my symptoms are simply IBS then it may help that too.
One other question - have you had an endoscopy as well to check for stomach issues?
buddyjo pete55308
Posted
If you have IBS, I'm not sure what level of fibre intake is recommended. The fodmap diet was actually designed to help people with IBS manage their condition. Important to note it's not a permanent diet .. you stay on a low fodmap diet for 2 - 6 weeks, then slowly and methodically reintroduce foods that are higher fodmap to see whether you get triggered. I really like that it's personalized so that you create the diet that's right for you. I get the feeling that moderation is going to be key for me .. difficult for someone who loves food. Here's a good site I found :
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fodmap-diet-what-you-need-to-know
Yes, I had an endoscopy during the same appointment as my colonoscopy and they found no stomach issues .. Joe
pete55308 buddyjo
Posted
thanks Joe. I'll try the low fodmap diet and see if it helps in any way. I'll be honest I'm concerned that there's something wrong in my stomach as although my colonoscopy was clear my endoscopy was January 2022.